Atheists becoming less unpopular?

[Jehanne]

The same way that your local government provides you with police and fire services.

...by taxing privately held business and wealth in order to buy equipment and pay for staff.......?

Do you want a private police force?  Or, are some public services necessary for the common good?

---

Not quite -- in communism, there is little private property, but that is not what I am advocating here.  I think that good socialism will retain private poverty with some private corporations.  Still, the government would be the dominant factor in the economy, with private industry in service to the country as opposed to being in competition within and between sectors.

In my experience, socialism is a system that provides the basic needs for its people, basically healthcare, education, law enforcement and providing some subsistence income to those in need, while allowing capitalism to do its thing within a set of regulations which aim to enforce a sustainable future.

For example, I don't think the government should be a car dealer. That's a business that should be in the private sector. The government should set up laws and regulations that allow any car dealer to operate, but with standard market rules (no false advertising, provide some warranty, etc), some sector specific regulations (require the car dealer to have a dealer's license so that he's aware of all the legislation involving cars) and some extra incentives or penalties for people to purchase wisely (higher road tax on more polluting cars).

It isn't working, and it never will.  Why?  Because with 180 or so countries in the World, there is simply too much temptation for one country to cheat, and soon after, everyone follows.  Even with its elite science, the US has not been able to reduce its carbon emissions.  Why?  Because President George W. Bush summed it up as saying that it would not "be fair" to developed nations to cut their (our) emissions unless developing nations first cut theirs.  And, he said this statement during his first term of office and was, of course, reelected to a second term!